Patterns Of Identity Development Research Articles

Patterns of identity development in ethnic minority/multicultural deaf families

Although the existence of internal ethnic diversity within Deaf communities is recognized by several authors, there has been less analysis of the impact of the ethnicity of marriage partners on the development and transmission of identity within Deaf families. This paper addresses language use and crossgenerational identity transmission in ethnic minority or ethnically mixed families set up by Deaf spouses living in Oradea (Romania). The research conducted in the Deaf community of Oradea is based on a survey of ethnic Hungarian Deaf community members (including ethnic Romanian spouses), lifepath interviews with selected Deaf individuals, and family case studies. The research results denote that in the case of Deaf people living in ethnically homogenous marriages who have graduated from a special school in Hungarian language, the transmission of Hungarian identity, knowledge of Hungarian sign language/oral language tends to be a natural, undisturbed process. However, if one of the spouses is of Romanian ethnicity, the language of communication within the family will probably be Romanian sign language/oral language. On the other hand, in families where both minority and majority ethnic family members, Deaf and hearing, are present, complex, multifaceted patterns of linguistic communication may operate, favoring specific multicultural ways of developing and transmitting identity.

Identity development across the transition from secondary to tertiary education: A 9-wave longitudinal study

IntroductionThe transition from secondary to tertiary education could be considered as an opportunity for psychological growth and might play a meaningful role in educational identity development during adolescence. In the present study, we aimed to examine how adolescents differ in their educational identity development across the normative transition from secondary to tertiary education in the Netherlands, and if differences between classes could be described at the socio-demographic, academic, individual, and relational level. MethodThe present study conducted parallel process piecewise Latent Class Growth Analyses in a sample of 685 Dutch participants (47.0% girls, Mage = 17.29 years old at the time of transition). Longitudinal data from adolescent (bi)annual surveys were centered around the final year of secondary school, with 4 years before the final year and 4 years after. ResultsHeterogeneity in the development of identity commitment and reconsideration across the transition was best classified by a 4-class solution. These four classes were labelled Increasing Self-Certainty, Stable Self-Certainty, Post-Transition Uncertainty, and Enduring Uncertainty. Adolescents’ patterns of identity development were meaningfully associated with sociodemographic, academic, individual, and relational characteristics. ConclusionThe present study discusses the merits of taking a person-centered approach, which indicated adaptive development for the majority of adolescents but also captured distinct patterns of struggles in educational identity development across the transition for a sizable minority.

Variations in Sexual Identity Milestones among Lesbians, Gay Men and Bisexuals.

Despite a large body of literature covering sexual identity development milestones, we know little about differences or similarities in patterns of identity development among subgroups of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) population. For this study, we assessed identity milestones for 396 LGB New Yorkers, ages 18-59. Sexual identity and disclosure milestones, were measured across gender, sexual identity, race/ethnicity, and age cohort subgroups of the LGB sample. Men experienced most sexual identity milestones earlier than women, but they tended to take more time between milestones. LGBs in younger age cohorts experienced sexual identity milestones and disclosure milestones earlier than the older cohorts. Bisexual people experienced sexual identity and disclosure milestones later than gay and lesbian people. Timing of coming out milestones did not differ by race/ethnicity. By comparing differences within subpopulations, the results of this study help build understanding of the varied identity development experiences of people who are often referred to collectively as "the LGB community." LGB people face unique health and social challenges; a more complete understanding of variations among LGB people allows health professionals and social service providers to provide services that better fit the needs of LGB communities.

Identity and social media

Given the quantity of data social networks produce – millions of data points and in some cases billions on the scale of big data analysis – how do we frame the quantitative analysis of this data in terms of theoretical models of identity? In 2008, Vincent Miller’s article in Convergence recognized in our ubiquitous and pervasive media the essential role of phatic communication which forms our connection to the here and now. Social media has become a native habitus for many and is a place to perform our various roles in our multimodal lives, as a professional, a parent, an acquaintance, and a colleague. The current generation has grown up with social media and like the 10-year-old Facebook, Twitter too has become part of some people’s everyday here and now. In this issue, Nicholas Carah, Sven Brodmerkel, and Lorena Hernandez focus on how Facebook works not just as a platform to harvest data but also as a platform to manage the circulation of affect and creation of social connections around brands. Looking specifically at drinking culture and Facebook, they argue that some social media engagement practices allow for circumventing regulatory regimes by prompting connections between mediations of drinking culture and the brand that would not be possible in other media channels. Yet do we understand the aspects and patterns of identity development in virtual worlds? As Margaretten and Gaber (2014) have proposed the concept of ‘authentic talk’ identified as ‘spontaneous, unrehearsed discourse’ on Twitter, in this issue Bernadett Koles and Peter Nagy offer an alternative conceptual model to researchers of a virtual identity developed to capture this complex conglomerate of personal, social, relational, and material aspects. While Tamara Shepherd and Thorsten Busch argue that Twitter has acquired the critical mass of users necessary to successfully establish a robust and financially viable social network. Employing a business ethics perspective, Shepherd and Busch examine Twitter’s ethos in relation to debates around democratic communication in relation to corporate social responsibility. ‘This issue becomes all the more pressing because online social networks to a certain extent have taken on the role of quasi-governmental bodies today, regulating what their users can and cannot do, thus raising questions of accountability and legitimacy’ (2014: 294).

Patterns of Adolescent Identity Development: Review of Literature and Longitudinal Analysis

A review of theoretical articles demonstrates that the theoretical claims of the identity status model have been greatly moderated over the past 30 years. It has been established that the model is not sufficiently specific to qualify as a developmental theory, and a teleological and unidirectional interpretation of identity development has been abandoned. The development does not have a fixed end-target, achievement, and is also not unidirectional, i.e., always proceeding from the low statuses to the high: a reverse developmental pathway is also possible. The moderation outlined here does not mean that a dominant direction in development must be denied, nor does it conflict with the fundamental developmental hypothesis of the identity status model, which (1) assumes a decrease in diffusion and foreclosure and an increase in achievement during the course of development and (2) specifies a pattern of identity status transitions underlying this progressive development. Reviews of empirical studies on identity development support the first assumption of the fundamental developmental hypothesis but not the second, owing to lack of research. An analysis of empirical studies on the relationship between identity status and psychological well-being further specifies the developmental hypothesis. In view of its associated level of psychological well-being, foreclosure emerges as another possible end-point of identity development, in addition to achievement. The developmental hypothesis and the relationship between identity status and psychological well-being are again addressed in a longitudinal study investigating relational and societal identity in a sample of 1538 Dutch adolescents. Four new identity statuses are used in this study: diffusion, closure, moratorium, and achieving commitment. The results support the first assumption of the developmental hypothesis, although not completely. For relational identity we find a decrease in diffusion and an increase in achievement and for societal identity a decrease in diffusion and an increase in closure. This means that a direction can in fact be indicated in the development of identity, but that closure can also serve as the end-point of the development, particularly for societal identity. Moreover, the domain of societal identity in general displays a less pronounced development than relational identity. This difference between relational and societal identity can be interpreted in terms of the distinction between open and closed domains of identity. In order to test the second assumption of the developmental hypothesis, the patterns of identity development were investigated for the first time in identity status research using log-linear analyses. A number of the status transitions proposed by the developmental hypothesis do not occur, and the developmental pathways are also less comprehensive. We found no indications that identity development proceeds faster in a certain period of adolescence than in other periods. However, the stability of relational identity increases, particularly in postadolescence, and a slow development of identity results in a lower level of psychological well-being.

Ego Identity Status in Cross-Cultural Context: A Replication Study

The purpose was to replicate research by Jensen, Kristiansen, Sandbekk, and Kroger. In that 1998 study, patterns of identity development were examined for late adolescents raised in the mixed liberal welfare-state economic system of Norway compared with late adolescents raised in the free-market economic system of the United States. In the present study, scores for ego identity status were examined for a further sample of 58 (38 women, 20 men) Norwegian and 1,498 (814 women, 684 men) American undergraduate students using the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-2. Present results were consistent with those of Jensen, et al., which found Norwegian students to score consistently lower on extent of exploration and of commitment than American students. This study provides further evidence that in late adolescence, Norwegian students may undergo greater moderation in identity exploration and commitment processes than their United States peers. Findings are discussed in the light of social, political, and economic differences between the two nations.

Factors Affecting the Coming Out Process for Lesbians

Cass' model (1979) of identity development and her Stage Allocation Measure (1984a) were assessed to determine their utility in describing the subjective experience of coming out as a lesbian and whether proposed stages could be tied to behavioral correlates of the Openness Questionnaire (Graham, Rawlings, & Girten, 1985). The process was considered in terms of a woman's differentiation from her family, sex-role attitudes, and levels of internalized homophobia. Eighty-one lesbians anonymously completed questionnaires. The results suggest that subjective labeling and behavior are congruent, but that rate of progression through stages does not imply integration of behavior. Four patterns of identity development were identified which suggest that relevant stages, speed of development, and stage attainment are characteristic of certain women. Intergenerational intimidation was significantly related to stage development, sex-role attitudes, openness behavior, and levels of internalized homophobia.